Valve-spring compressor



May 21, 1929.

H. w. KULP E 1 AL VALVE SPRING COMPRESSOR Original Filed Feb. 26. 1925v Menrs:

flezlznger, Mfg L I Patented May El, 1922.

uurru PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY W. KUL'E AND MARTIN C. DELLINGER, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

vnLvn-srarne ooiurnnsson.

Application filed February 26, 1925, Serial No. 11,771. Renewed October 10,1928.

The present invention relatesto valve spring lifters particularly intended for use in connection with the internal combustion engines of automobiles. In connection with the grinding of the valves of such engines it is usual practice in most instances to simply lift the valve spring with a suitable tool, for instance such as shown in the patent to Kulp & Dellinger, No. 1,461,- 275, granted July 10, 1923, such lifting being but temporary and to a sufficient distance to allow the pin to be withdrawn, when the tool is withdrawn and the spring left in place about the valve stem, but disconnected therefrom, so that the valve stem free to turn back and forth during the operation of grind ing the valve on its seat. The term lifting as above used, and as usually used in this art, means really the compressing of the spring, by bearing against one end portion, to force such end portion lengthwise of the valve stem a sufficient distance to permit the pin to be removed with ease, and does not ordinarily mean a bodily lifting of the spring, 1101- its removal.

However, there are some constructions of internal combustion engines now extensively used in automobiles, for instance the Studebaker Light Six, wherein the assemblage of the valve stems, push rods, springs and retaining means, is such that the spring cannot be left on the valve stem without interfering therewith and preventing its movement in the grinding operation.

The object of the present invention is to provide in combination with the exact quick acting, pivoted lever, constant parallel jaw, locking and releasing construction of valve spring lifter shown in the above identified patent, means for compressing the valve spring between elements of the tool and holding it compressed during removal bodily from, and bodily replacement about, its valve stem, whereby the spring will be confined between the operative parts and cannot readily slip out of place when compressed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a device embodying my invention in one extreme position;

Figure 2, a fragmentary side elevation thereof with the jaws in intermediate posi-.

tion;

lgigure 3, a fragmentary top plan view; an

Figure 4, a front elevation with the parts in the position of Fig. 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the lifter as a whole, except for the additions of the present invention and improvements, is constructed and operates as in the prior patent to Harry W. Kulp, No. 1,330,542, granted February 10, 1920, and is provided with the lock construction shown in the patent to Kulp & Dellinger No. 1,461,275, granted July 10, 1923, to both of which reference is hereby made.

The handles A and B are provided on their operative inner portions with a pivoted jaw C and a pivoted fork or bifurcated part1) respectively, said parts D and C being maintained substantially parallel at all times throughout their relative movement as the handles A and B are moved relatively about their pivotal connectionlll, as stated in greater detail in the above referred to patents.

Arms 1 extending vertically at right angles from the respective bifurcations 0r tines of the fork or part D and secured to the outer faces thereof respectively at at least two points by rivets 2 or other suitable means, or by welding or other suitable means such as will guard against any relative movement between the respective arms 1 and its corresponding tine, extend upward outside of, and on each side of,the jaw C and have their upper end portions for an appreciable distance offset toward each other to confine the valve spring between them in a lateral direction, and have their extreme upper end portions extending toward each other at substantially right angles to their bodies or vertical portions as at 3 to provide jaw faces or seats or a seat to engage against the adjacent end of the valvespring, and said upper end portions of the arms will preferably be rigidly connected together, preferably by being operatively integral with each other, such connection being preferably by continuing the portions 3, with a depending reinforcing flange so as to merge together in one integral element.

In the construction shown the arms 1 and their right angle jaws 3 and connecting means are all integral, being stamped from a single piece of sheet metal. This is the pre-' ferred construction, but it is not essential that they should be integral with each other, or that their upper end portions should be rigidly connected together, or that they should be connected at all, though it is advisable that they should be as offsetting any tendency of the upper ends or end portions to spread under stress. a

In operation, the jaw will be fitted under thespringvretaining washer or plate or lower end of the spring, and the jaws 3 will be enga-ged overthe upper end of the spring, or"

convolutions of the spring near its upper end, and the handles A'and B will be'turned about their pivot E to bring their outer ends to- V "get'he'r, such movement causing the aw C and the jaws 3 to approach each other, the part-s being locked against reverse movement under the influence oi the spring by the lock mechanism, all as described in Patent No. 1,461,275. It is obvious that, in view of the construction maintaining substantial parallelism between the jaw G and part D, the

r jaws 3 will also at all times be maintained in substantial parallelism with the jaw G, inasmuch as their arms 1 extend vertically with relation to the part D and, aw C and the jaws 3 themselves extend in a horizontal plane from-their respective arms 1 and right angles thereto or substantially so, However, whlle it'is desirable that the aws I C and?) shall'be'at all times substantially parallel as pointed out in more detail in Patent 1,830,542, so that the jaws will act with evenness on the spring in a line parallel to the valve stem and will not compress it more on one side than on the other, it is not essential to the present invention, considered in its broader aspects, that a construction to ensure such parallelism at all times should be em.- bodied' in the device, the present invention, in its broader aspects being more concerned with the provision of a construction whereby of the tool so that without need for further "{attention or consideration the spring may tion is capable of embodiment in many other i I V merely by squeezing one hand together on the handles the valve spring may be compressed and held that way by the automatic locking be removed with the tool, being held coinpressed thereby as removed, during the pe-,

riod it is removed if desired, and replaced, being released after it is arranged again about the valve stem and the retaining means have been put back in original condition, simply by the release of. the locking means and the release of the handles of the tool.

Only the preferred embodiment has been illustrated, but it is obvious that the invenforms and modifications.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Let- "ters Pa-tent is:

1. In a. spring compressor, two levers each' lying 011 opposite sides'oi": a central line, means for pivotally connecting salol levers in such manner that their end portions may ,In'ove toward and away from each other, and

automatic releasable means for locking said levers against movement in one dlreotlon, 1n

res

combination with parts carried by one end of each'of said levers and having movement with relation thereto, means for maintaining said parts substantially in parallel relation throughout the range of movement of said levers, and means secured to one of said parts, straddling the other of said parts and extending beyond the latter, and having portions opposed to'the latter part and maintained at all times substantially parallel thereto, said latter part and said portions being adapted to engage the 'respectiveend portions 01" a springand'to force them toward each other to compress said sp'ring,f'said locking means serving to automaticallylock and hold said latter 'part'and said portions in such re'lation'againstthe action'of'the compressed'spring.

2. In a'sprlng compressor, two levers'each lying on opposite sides of a central line,

means for pivot'ally connecting said levers 1n such manner that thelr end portions may move toward and from the corresponding portions of theother lever, and releasable means for locking said levers 'against 'movement in one directiom'in combination with parts carried by the same end po'rtions of each of said'levers and having movement with relation thereto, means'for maintaining said parts substantially in parallel relation throughout the range of movementof said levers, and armsfrigidly s'e'curedto one of-said parts and extending parallel to each other and 011 either side of the other of saidparts and beyond the latter, and havingportions "opposed to the latter part and maintained at all times substantially parallel thereto,-said latter part and said EI-IIII 'POIl'IlOIIS being adapted to 'engagethe respective 'endportions of a spring" and to force them toward each other to compresss'aid spring, said lockingmeans serving tolock and holdsaid latterp'a'rt and said 'portionsfinfsuch position against the action of the compressed spring until released, said armshav'ing' portions lat- V erally ofi'set' toward each other-'tof confine the compressed spring a ainst a POSSl-blB tendency to slip'in a lateral direct-ion;

' 3. Ina spring-compressdr',twolevers'pivotally connected together" ntermediate their lengths, in eoinbinationwith partsoar'ried by the adjacent end portions of 3' each of said levers, and means secured to one 'ofsai dparts, straddling the other of sald parts'an'd extenuing beyond the latter, and having portions opsaid parts, straddling the other of said parts and extending beyond the latter, and having inturned portions opposed to the latter part, said latter part and said portions being adapted to engage the respective end portions of a spring and to compress the latter as the levers are moved in the proper direction, said arms having laterally inwardly ofiset portions for reducing the interval between the opposed faces of said arms to confine the compressed spring against a possible tendency to slip in a lateral direction.

5. In a spring compressor, a pair of lovers movable towards and away from each other, in combination with spring washer engaging means carried by one lever, a part carried by the other lever, and arms extending upwardly from said part and adapted in use to lie on opposite sides of a spring to be compressed, said arms carrying inwardly extending parts for engaging convolutions of such spring at opposite sides of the spring, whereby such spring may be held by, and compressed between, said washer engaging means and said parts.

6. A spring compressor including members movable toward and away from each other, and spring washer engaging means carried by one of said members, in combination with arms secured to the other member and adapted in use to lie on opposite sides of a spring to be compressed, and parts extending inwardly from the end portions of the arms toward each other for engaging convolutions of the spring at opposite sides thereof, Whereby such spring may be held by, and compressed between, said washer engaging means and said inwardly extending parts.

7. Aspring compressor including members movable toward and away from each other, spring washer engaging means carried by one of said members, and means for looking said members against movement under influence of the compressed spring, in com bination with arms secured to the other member and adapted in use to lie on opposite sides of the spring to be compressed, and parts extending inwardly from the end portions of said arms toward each other for engaging convolutions of the spring at opposite sides thereof, whereby such spring may be compressed between, and held by, said washer engaging means and said inwardly extending parts.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this 25th day of February,

HARRY W. KULP. MARTIN C. DELLINGER. 

